Clomipramine News

THURSDAY, Dec. 1, 2016 – For teens, depression can affect more than their relationships and educational achievement – it can harm their future prospects. But a new study suggests that many of these young people could reap long-term benefits from psychological counseling. "Depression can seriously impair people's lives, and in many cases begins during their teenage years," said Ian Goodyer, a professor at the department of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge in England. "If we can tackle it early on, evidence suggests we can reduce the chances of severe depression returning." According to background material provided in a university news release, psychological treatments are effective in the short term in about 70 percent of adolescents with depression. But it's not clear how these patients fare in the long term, the study authors noted. The study included 465 teens in England ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2016 – Since her 2008 breakthrough role in the Disney Channel musical "Camp Rock," singer and actress Demi Lovato has released five best-selling albums and a slew of hit singles. Numerous music awards have followed, as has a stint as a judge on the TV megahit "The X Factor." But for the 44 million American adults struggling with mental illness, it's the 24-year-old's decision to share her own mental health battles that may rank as her most meaningful achievement to date. "I've been very, very open about my story," said Lovato. "I was diagnosed when I was 18 with bipolar disorder," a condition shared by roughly 13 million Americans. "And ever since, I've been doing whatever I could to raise awareness about mental illness, and mental health, in America." Since 2015, Lovato has served as the public face of the "Be Vocal" initiative. It's a campaign that brings together ... Read more

TUESDAY, Nov. 1, 2016 – Released prisoners may be less likely to commit violent crimes if they're prescribed certain kinds of psychiatric medications, a new study suggests. These medications can affect someone's mental state. They include antidepressants, antipsychotics, psychostimulants, drugs to treat addiction and antiepileptic drugs, the researchers said. The study authors looked at information on more than 22,000 prisoners in Sweden. They were released between July 2005 and December 2010. The researchers had a median of nearly five years of follow-up information. During that time, 18 percent of the prisoners committed violent crimes, the researchers said. Three classes of drugs were linked to much lower rates of violent crimes. Antipsychotics were tied to a 42 percent reduction in violent crimes. For psychostimulants, the reduction was 38 percent. Drugs to treat addiction were ... Read more

MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2016 – Most American adults who suffer from depression aren't getting treatment, a new study finds. After screening survey data on more than 46,000 people, researchers found that 8 percent had depression, but only a third were being treated for the mood disorder. The reasons why were varied. "Some adults who experience depressive symptoms do not believe they are significant and require medical attention, or that they could benefit from treatment," said lead researcher Dr. Mark Olfson. For others, stigma or shame interferes with a desire to get professional help, said Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University in New York City. "In still other cases, the medical visits are oriented around more pressing and urgent medical problems, and the clinical opportunities to detect depression are missed," he said. The survey ... Read more

FRIDAY, July 22, 2016 – A simpler and less expensive form of talk therapy is as effective as the gold-standard treatment – cognitive behavioral therapy – for treating depression in adults, a new study suggests. The researchers found that so-called behavioral activation therapy treats depression just as well as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). But behavioral activation can be provided by mental health workers with minimal training and is significantly cheaper, the study authors contended. Cognitive behavioral therapy is provided by highly trained and highly paid specialists. In many countries, CBT is available only to patients who can afford it or who have health insurance, and waiting lists can be long. For example, in the United States, only about one-fourth of people with depression have received any form of psychological therapy in the last 12 months, the researchers said. The ... Read more

THURSDAY, July 7, 2016 – In just one year, almost 3 million U.S. teens suffered a major bout of depression, a new government report shows. "Adolescence is a critical time in a person's development, and battling with depression can be devastating for teens unless they receive effective treatment," said Paolo del Vecchio, director of the Center for Mental Health Services at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "Effective treatment is available, but parents, teachers and all concerned members of the community must work to assure that adolescents in need get help," del Vecchio said in an agency news release. These young people feel depressed and lose interest in their activities for at least two weeks. They may also have trouble sleeping, eating or concentrating, the agency explained. The overall rate of depression among young people jumped to 11 ... Read more

SATURDAY, July 2, 2016 – Heat waves are more than uncomfortable, they can be deadly. That's especially true in large cities. And, seniors, children and people with chronic health problems are at higher risk for heat-related illness and death, according to Dr. Robert Glatter. He's an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Those who have high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, as well as those who suffer with mental illness, may be at risk for heat-related emergencies, including heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), heat exhaustion, as well as heat stroke," he said in a hospital news release. "Various classes of medications including beta blockers, as well as diuretics, can impair sweating – ultimately disrupting the body's ability to cool itself. Other medications including antihistamines, as well as antidepressants and sedatives, may also ... Read more

THURSDAY, June 16, 2016 – About one in 13 young adults in the United States had serious thoughts of suicide in 2013-2014, federal officials reported Thursday. That rate of 7.4 percent translates into 2.6 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 25, researchers said. "Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young adults, and it is preventable," said Kana Enomoto. She's principal deputy administrator at the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which released the report. "We need to reach out to young people with the message that help is at hand, and promote effective programs for saving lives by treating people at risk whenever and wherever they need it," Enomoto added in an agency news release. One expert said help is out there for the troubled, but more must be done. "Breaking down barriers regarding mental health, improving access to ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, June 8, 2016 – Treating children and teens suffering from depression with antidepressants may be both ineffective and potentially dangerous, a new analysis suggests. Of the 14 antidepressants studied, only fluoxetine (Prozac) was more effective in treating depression than an inactive placebo in children and teens, the review found. And Effexor (venlafaxine) was linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to a placebo and five other antidepressants, the researchers reported. "In the clinical care of young people with major depressive disorder, clinical guidelines recommend psychotherapy – especially cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy – as the first-line treatment," said study author Dr. Andrea Cipriani. He is an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Oxford, in England. Major depression affects ... Read more

FRIDAY, June 3, 2016 – The United States is in the grip of an epidemic of opioid abuse. However, new research suggests that drugs that help addicts kick their habit after hospitalization are too seldom used. "Given the high rates at which follow-up services are not provided," the fact that many opioid abusers don't get anti-addiction meds is a "concern," says a team led by Sarah Naeger of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Her team noted that, according to 2013 federal government data, nearly 1.9 million Americans are now addicted to opioids such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Percocet, fentanyl and even heroin. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than half of all fatal drug overdoses in 2013 involved an opioid. The issue made news again Thursday when it was revealed that an overdose of one powerful synthetic opioid ... Read more

TUESDAY, May 24, 2016 – Doctors prescribe antidepressants for a wide range of medical problems other than depression, apparently fueling the boom in sales of these medications, researchers report. Depression accounts for only a little more than half the antidepressant prescriptions issued by Quebec physicians during the past decade, the Canadian study found. Doctors also issued antidepressants to treat anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, panic disorders, fibromyalgia, migraine, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and a host of other "off-label" conditions for which the drugs are not approved, according to the report. Two out of every three non-depression prescriptions for antidepressants were handed out under an off-label purpose, the findings showed. "The thing that's of concern here is that when prescribing for conditions other than depression, often these are for indications such as ... Read more

MONDAY, May 16, 2016 – Temporarily raising the body temperature of people who are depressed seems to ease symptoms for up to six weeks, a small new study finds. The treatment, known as whole-body hyperthermia, essentially gives patients a mild, transient fever, the researchers explained. Similar to some antidepressant drugs, the treatment is thought to work by activating a part of the brain that produces the chemical serotonin. This brain region is less active in people with depression, the researchers explained. "Our hope is to find better and faster-acting treatments for depression than the antidepressants currently in use," said lead researcher Dr. Charles Raison of the University of Wisconsin. "We think that using heat to stimulate the skin activates serotonin-producing cells in the mid-brain, which then produce a change in how the brain functions," he explained in a university ... Read more

TUESDAY, May 3, 2016 – While doing your spring cleaning, don't just toss out expired or unused prescription medications. Unwanted drugs need to be properly disposed of to reduce the risk of abuse or accidental use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says. Follow disposal instructions on the drug label or patient information that came with the medicine. Don't put medicines down the sink or flush them down the toilet unless this information specifically says to do so. Call local law enforcement agencies to find out if your community has a medication take-back program or event. Or, ask your local trash or recycling services about medication disposal services and guidelines, the FDA suggests. Another option is to deliver unused medicines to collectors registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). These authorized sites may be retail, clinic or hospital pharmacies, and ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, April 20, 2016 – Depressed teens who refuse antidepressants may benefit from counseling, a new study suggests. The study included more than 200 teens who were unwilling to take medication to treat their depression. The researchers found that those who tried a type of short-term "talk therapy" – known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – were more likely to recover than those who didn't. "High numbers of adolescents experience depression, as many as 10 to 15 percent each year – and up to one in five by age 18," said lead researcher Greg Clarke. He is a depression investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. "Unfortunately, most of these depressed teens are not treated. As few as 30 percent get specific depression care," he said. In many cases, depressed teens refuse to take antidepressants, "often because of side effect concerns," ... Read more

THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2016 – Schizophrenia patients are at significantly increased risk of attempting suicide, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed data from more than 21,700 Canadians, including 101 who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. About 39 percent of people (two in five) with schizophrenia had attempted suicide, compared with about 3 percent of people without the mental health disorder. "Even after taking into account most of the known risk factors for suicide attempts, those with schizophrenia had six times the odds of having attempted suicide in comparison to those without schizophrenia," study author Esme Fuller-Thomson said in a University of Toronto news release. Fuller-Thomson is a professor of social work at the university. When researchers focused only on the 101 individuals with schizophrenia, they found that "women and those with a history of drug or alcohol abuse ... Read more